Urban Arts

06/22/2016

Huge for the arts in education!!!

“It is our strong hope that a motivated Congress will remain focused on ensuring that music education orchestrates success in the lives of all students throughout America,” said Michael Butera, NAfME Executive Director and CEO. “Music energizes and elevates, it makes schools better, and it creates better employees and citizens, later on in life. We look forward to working with Congress to get a good bill across the finish line.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RESTON, VA (July 16, 2015)—The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is deeply pleased with this afternoon’s development that the United States Senate has passed its bipartisan…

05/30/2016

These things truly saved my own life!

~Elizabeth

We close tonight with our Quote of the Day:

05/29/2016

This is the impact art, in any form, can have on someone's life. Teaching our youth about outlets to share themselves in creative ways can do so much with helping find who they want to be in this world; the impact they can have on other people and the way they can help them. Awesome The Diatribe

54th Street Academy junior Brianna Darin spoke about her battle with depression and anxiety on National Public Radio’s program “State of Opportunity,” explaining what it’s like to be a child who feels like there’s no hope -- and how she recovered

05/05/2016

Absolutely!

03/20/2016

It takes ever so much more work to put on a performance than what you see in the final production with an audience. Lights, sound, set, costumes, props, not to mention countless hours for the cast and crew to rehearse, memorize lines, choreography, music.... we want to help everyone learn and experience it all, no matter their level of experience. We're just gearing up after starting in January, so check back often to see new posts and info as we get our programs and shows into place!

02/29/2016

After much deliberation, and a difficult decision for our judges, the winners for the 4th Annual 10-Minute Playwright Competition are....

An Awkwardly Delightful Bus Ride by Chad Marriott

and

How To Prepare Your Teenage Boy for His Sexual Awakening In the 1950s by Todd M. Lewis

CONGRATS to the winners, whose prize will be to write a full 1-act play to be produced and performed together for our 2017 repertoire!

A very special THANK YOU to all who participated, including the other playwrights, actors, directors, crew, and the wonderful audiences we had out to support this amazing series. We had an immensely talented team working with us, and we're very proud and honored to have created beautiful art with each of you during Urban Arts' first production.

Feel free to start preparing for next year's theme, announced yesterday as "In Pursuit of Happiness" - stay tuned for more details!

02/13/2016

Urban Arts would like to inform you that unfortunately, the 24 Hour Theatre Project set to take place on Sunday February 14th, 2016 will be cancelled. We had hoped to produce 8-10 short plays for this project, but sadly did not have enough interested artists able to commit. We would like to extend our thank-you to those who showed their interest - we hope to work with you soon!

Although we are disappointed to not be moving forward with this project, we are very excited for our 10-Minute Playwright Competition. The performances are on February 26th-28th (Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm) at Dog Story Theatre. We've got some excellent entries, and our actors and directors are hard at work! We hope to see you there!

Thank you all for your continued support. We hope you enjoy your Valentine's Day weekend!

02/01/2016

This is only a snippet of why art and theater is so important, including as a developing youth or young adult, and well into our later years. I highly recommend this article, as it reflects much of our goals here at Urban Arts, and is why working on and around the stage has touched my own life so deeply. It teaches teamwork, the value of hard work, passion for what you do and put out into the world, and a sense of comradery and family. We hope you continue to follow us, encourage us, and help us further enrich lives through the education in the boundless world of performance arts. I don't know where I'd be without it.

~ Elizabeth

Art is just as important as math.

01/30/2016

Final auditions for the 10-Minute Plays are today from now to 3 pm - location is 342 Market Ave SW, Grand Rapids. If you'll be arriving at 2 pm or later, please let us know here or call/text Beth at 231-670-3513 so we can ensure we give you time!

01/29/2016

We're excited and proud to announce the finalists of this year's 10-Minute Play Playwright Competition! Please help us congratulate the winners; these will be performed Feb 26-28 at Dog Story Theater as a part of the Lake Effect Fringe Festival. Don't forget about auditions this weekend - see our events for details! Congrats, playwrights!

*In random order, the 8 finalists:

The Campfire by Matthew Tawney

How To Prepare Your Teenage Boy for His Sexual Awakening In The 1950s by Todd Lewis

The Press Box by Bill Iddings

The True Believers by Frances Gentile

An Awkwardly Delightful Bus Ride by Chad Marriott

The Next Commercial Break by Mary Kron

Hamlet and Eggs by Scott Phillips

After the Surprise by Brian Bruno

01/27/2016

We're focused and dedicated to bringing back the arts in education!